Charlton’s Conor Coady taken to hospital after being struck in head by ball

Charlton manager Nathan Jones revealed that Conor Coady had been taken to hospital after being knocked out during the 1-1 draw at Watford.

The former England international, 33, needed nine minutes of treatment after being caught flush in the head by Tom Ince’s shot as the Championship match moved into second-half stoppage time.

Jones said: “He lost consciousness and we are just assessing it now. He has gone off to hospital, so hopefully he will be okay.

“They are really good mates, which is the ironic thing. You ask defenders to put their bodies on the line and he literally did that. It is a ball, at the end of the day, it’s not like he has been hit by a boxer. Hopefully it is just precaution, he recovers and he can be with his family tonight.”

Matty Godden put Charlton ahead with his first touch after coming on as a substitute, stylishly converting Kayne Ramsay’s flick on from Harry Clarke’s long throw in the 62nd minute.

It was the 34-year-old’s first goal of an injury-hit campaign.

Charlton goalkeeper Will Mannion made a string of saves, with the hosts amassing 31 attempts in total, before Nestory Irankunda produced an emphatic low finish to finally break his resistance.

Jones said: “Overall I’m happy with a point. These have always got outstanding individuals – some of the best in the Championship. They can turn a game at any point.

“Every time Matty plays for us he gets opportunities. The trouble is he has been injured. We have really missed him. He is one of the best strikers I’ve worked with.

“They have had a lot of shots from distance. I honestly think we could’ve gone and nicked it at the end – Joe Rankin-Costello has had two glorious chances that would’ve been utopia.”

Watford head coach Ed Still was able to take the plusses out of his side’s display.

He said: “We were completely dominant in that second half. That is the real positive. We are gutted we conceded off a second ball from a throw in.

“Our first half was okay, nothing more than okay, as we just missed out on a few pressing moments. But we still had three or probably four really good chances.

“Nestory is a fantastic talent. What I keep saying to him is that we don’t want to just see that in glimpses or moments. What separates special players from good players is they are not just doing it in glimpses. But that reflects a little bit on the consistency of the team’s performances.

“He has created four or five good chances and he has converted one. What he also does is create space for others.”